WTF Marlene Oostryck Rally in Kings Square

Walyalup Koort, formerly known as Kings Square (or King's Square), is a

town square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

, Western Australia. It is bounded by

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

, Newman, William, and

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

streets. Though the square was originally a

public reserve A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

, it has been the site of Saint John's Church of England since 1843, and the

Fremantle Town Hall Fremantle Town Hall is a town hall located in the portside city of Fremantle, Western Australia, and situated on the corner of High, William and Adelaide Streets. The official opening, on 22 June 1887, coincided with the celebration of Queen Vic ...

since 1887.

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

was extended through and beyond the square in the 1880s, but the portion through the square was closed off in the 1960s. Today Walyalup Koort functions as a civic and cultural centre of Fremantle, with modern events taking place adjacent to the historic buildings.

History

The square began as an open space on

John Septimus Roe John Septimus Roe (8 May 1797 – 28 May 1878) was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, a member of Western Australia's legislative and executive councils for nearly 40 years, but also a participant in ...

's original town plan of Fremantle, drawn in 1833. In 1839, property owners around the square petitioned the

State Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

for a church to be built in the square. This was approved in 1840, and construction works began with the

foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

being laid on 6 April 1842. Saint John's Church of England opened on 4 August 1843, and was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

on 16 November 1848. In 1876, the church applied to the

Fremantle City Council The City of Fremantle is a local government area in the south of Perth, Western Australia. The City covers an area of , and lies about southwest of the Perth central business district. History The City of Fremantle is named after Charles ...

for a strip of land, adjacent to the church wall, to be granted to the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

, for the purpose of building a new church on the site and to improve the amenity of Walyalup Koort, known as Kings Square at the time. In this application, all of the land in Walyalup Koort was claimed to have been previously granted to the Church of England, though in later years this was seen to be controversial. This application was refused, as the strip was used for storing and preparing stone (for use in road works), and some councillors believed the church had enough land already. One year later, the church made a second proposal, offering the council the south-western corner of the square, and a

right of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

for the extension of High Street through the square, in return for the strip of land and £500, equivalent to in . The council accepted, subject to minor modification. The new church was constructed and consecrated in 1882. It was funded in part by sale of the south-western corner to the Fremantle Council, and the sale of south-eastern portion, which was divided into

lots Lot, LOT, The Lot or similar may refer to: Common meanings Areas *Land lot, an area of land *Parking lot, for automobiles *Backlot, in movie production Sets of items *A Quantity, great many of something, as in, "There are a lot of beetles," or "T ...

. The council constructed the

on the site it had purchased, between 1885 and 1887, whilst private enterprises constructed buildings in the south east of the square during the 1880s. These building were later demolished in 1929 to make room for an extension to the town hall. In 1881, High Street was extended along the right of way through Walyalup Koort. In the 1960s, Walyalup Koort was reinstated as a town square with the closure of High Street, between Queen Street, at the eastern edge of the square, and Market Street, west of the square. This was carried out as part of a traffic management plan for Fremantle, which included turning the streets around the square into a one way rotary. In July 2021, the name ''Kings Square'' was formally changed to ''Walyalup Koort'' following approval of the new name by the Minister for Lands. The new name, which means 'Heart of Fremantle' in the local Whadjuk Nyoongar language, was selected by Fremantle Council in June 2021 following a community engagement process. The name changed occurred despite community opposition and a written submission from the Fremantle History Society stating that they did not support the renaming of this historical site.

Current usage

WTF Marlene Oostryck Pinpong in Kings Square

Walyalup Koort is now a paved and landscaped civic centre of Fremantle. As well as the church and town hall, the square also features a giant chess board, various public artworks, and facilities such as toilets, seating, and children's play equipment. Cultural events take place in the square, including movie, music, and arts festivals, as well as group activities such as

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

and

drum circle A drum circle is an informal gathering of percussionists and dancers who meet in public for the purpose of playing drums and dancing to the music. Often seen at parks and beaches. Percussionists usually gather in a circle and dancers are often see ...

s. Public artworks and statues on display in Walyalup Koort include: * Pietro Giacomo Porcelli (1993) – sculptor Greg James *

Hughie Edwards Air Commodore Sir Hughie Idwal Edwards, (1 August 1914 – 5 August 1982) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force, Governor of Western Australia, and an List of Australian Victoria Cross recipients, Australian recipient of the Victoria Cr ...

statue and seat (2002) – artist Andrew Kay *

Chess table A chess table is a table built with features to make it useful for playing the game of chess. They can come in various sizes and shapes, and are usually made of solid wood. They can be found in some cities and other public areas. Most are of a s ...

and chairs – artist Coral Lowry *

John Curtin John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He held office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), having been most ...

(artwork alongside the Town Hall building) – artists Charles Smith and Joan Walsh Smith * Tom Edwards Memorial (1919) – sculptor Pietro Giacomo Porcelli

References

{{Subject bar , auto=y , portal1=Western Australia , portal2=Geography Adelaide Street, Fremantle Queen Street, Fremantle Squares in Perth, Western Australia High Street, Fremantle